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Jacky Chamoun is a Lebanese Alpine Skier and is currently representing Lebanon at the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics. She happens to be very sexy as well and posed last year topless for a ski-theme calendar taken by six-time Mexican Olympic skier Prince Hubertus von Hohenlohe.

For some reasons, the news just got to the Lebanese Media, even though it’s been out for at least 10 days and it is even mentioned on Jacky’s profile on the Sochi 2014 website.

There’s a video of her photo session being shared online but I won’t bother share it. She’s representing Lebanon, she’s hot and free to do whatever she likes so Good Luck to you Jacky!

Dr. Jamil Rima is a Lebanese professor and inventor who came up with a reactor called RPC that takes any piece of garbage and turns it into carbon, which later on can be transformed into clean fuel. I heard that Rima tested out his new machine in Sassine and that it was successful but I didn’t hear much about it till Matt from NowLebanon interviewed him.

In the interview, Dr. Rima is saying he’s had serious talks with Sukleen and few ministers and that things should kick off soon.

NOW: How much does the reactor cost?

Rima: We paid around $250,000 to build our prototype. But I think the price will go down.

NOW: Is it safe for the environment?

Rima: It is 100 percent environmentally friendly. In our system of carbonization, you have pressure inside so you eliminate 100 percent the combustion [and the resulting pollutants]. With our system, nothing is emitted into the atmosphere.

NOW: Will you focus only on selling this reactor to private industry or will you try to sell it to the Lebanese government also to help lower the country’s fuel bill?

Rima: We are trying to install a 3.5-ton-capacity system in the south of Lebanon, for the municipality of Ain Ebel, a small village there. We will service not only Ain Ebel, but it will service 100,000 thousand people. It can treat 100 tons of trash a day. The carbon can be used in the house for heating, it can be used for barbeques. The carbon comes out of the reactor as a power, and you have to press the powder into shapes to burn it. But industries like cement can burn the carbon powder as is.

NOW: Who else are you talking to?

Rima: I had a discussion with Sukleen, maybe we can do something with them. I have some connections with Saudi Arabia, with the son of the king. I have some connections with Kuwait. I’m looking to do something, to develop. I think this technology will take off fast. I’ve had talks with the Lebanese government, but they are busy. They are interested. A lot of ministers in Lebanon called me and I discussed with them. I think we will start. Soon. I think.

I found this video back from 2012 but I am not sure if that’s the same machine Rima is talking about. It looks like it though.

There’s a public park that’s been under construction for almost a year now at the Marina Dbayeh. It was supposed to open last year based on what Kfoury told Gino back in August of 2013 but obviously it needs some time still.

I think it’s a good initiative but I am not a big fan of palm trees to be honest and I wish they could have replaced them with something else. Moreover, there’s no parking space around that public park so I hope they won’t let people park around it because that would create a lot of traffic and pollution.

Bto2ta3 Aw Ma Bto2ta3 is an interactive play written by Lucien and produced by MARCH that explores the theme of “Freedom of Speech & Censorship in Lebanon” and that was ironically banned in Lebanon. Nevertheless, it got nominated under the Arts section at the Index Freedom of Expression Awards 2014 that is being held in London.

It’s been two years now since the Fassouh Building tragedy yet there are still thousands of buildings in Beirut only that are at risk of collapsing. According to the owners of old rental flats, “buildings that are at risk of collapse have entered a dangerous stage”.

Based on this article, Beirut Engineers Syndicate head Elie Bsaibes has proposed a solution to address this problem that goes as follows:
– Amend the current rent law which contains many legal loopholes which prevent the maintenance of old buildings.
– Create a special fund for the reinforcement of cracked buildings using the best technical and least expensive methods.
– Propose legislation that defines building conditions and establishes mechanism for tending to unstable buildings.

This is a good initiative and should be followed up promptly by the concerned authorities. We shouldn’t wait for another tragedy to strike before doing anything.

“There are more than 3,000 buildings in Beirut that were built before 1950 and did not meet building public safety standards, and are at risk of collapse,” said George Rabahye of the Committee for the Defence of Old Property Owners’ Rights.

Rabahye, who lives in a house in Ashrafieh his father bought in 1930, told Al-Shorfa the house was built with sandstone and limestone and has been repaired and rehabilitated over the decades without issue.

“All old buildings that are at risk of collapse have the same construction specifications as my house,” he said. “Their owners are unable to repair them as required for many reasons, foremost among them the low rent.”

“After the collapse of the Fassouh building, the municipal council received hundreds of requests from citizens to have their old buildings inspected, and we informed some of the owners of buildings that are susceptible to collapse of the necessity to vacate them,” said deputy Beirut mayor Nadim Abou Rizk.

“Our responsibility is limited to the inspection of those buildings when we are requested to do so,” he said. [Link]

It’s no secret that men and women don’t always get each other. That’s why the Mukhi sisters have come up with a fun Valentine app that translates what women really mean. Men just type in what women are telling them and the app translates the sentence to “English”. In case Love Translator doesn’t return an answer, you could always suggest one with the help of your wife/fiancee/gf or just “Break the language barrier” and get a jewelry suggestion. I think that’s a pretty cool idea and I would love to see a compilation of the best suggested answers after a while.

Speaking of jewelry, I never understood why women or anyone for that sake love getting jewelry so much. Personally speaking, that’s like the worst gift I could get from anyone.

Born to an Indian father and a Lebanese mother, the Mukhi Sisters bring you the best of both worlds in contemporary jewelry pieces. Passion for jewelry was innate and inherited by their parents who have been renowned jewelers for years. Each their own design and their own personal touch, the Mukhi Sisters line of jewelry is sure to satisfy everyone’s tastes.